PushUP24: Things I’m Loving Friday #141

Good morning and Happy Friday! The holiday weekend is almost upon us and I hope you guys have some fun plans on the agenda! We have a Fourth of July party to attend on Saturday but other than that, our weekend plans are pretty clear, which is just the way I like ‘em! I actually had a bit of a rough night on Wednesday night (I think I may have had a weird bug because I was up puking at 11 p.m.) and I felt kind of crappy all day yesterday, so I’m crossing my fingers that today will be a bit better. I’m ready to feel like myself again!

Thankfully my mom is still in town (she’s leaving on Sunday) and having her here to help with Chase when I was feeling a little under the weather was such a blessing! Spending time with my mom during her visit is what I am loving most this week, but in true Friday fashion, below you will find a list of a few other small things that are making me smile in your weekly Things I’m Loving Friday blog post. As always, I’d love to read a little bit about what you are loving in the comments section of this post!

Things I’m Loving Friday

Sunflowers

I’m convinced sunflowers are the happiest flowers on the planet and something about a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers always makes me smile. They remind me of summertime and my sister (they’ve always been her favorite) and I couldn’t resist picking up a small bouquet of the beautiful flowers when they were on sale at Whole Foods last week. They’re still going strong a week later! Fresh flowers are definitely one of those little indulgences that lead to big happiness for me.

Hand-Me-Down Clothes From Friends

I feel so lucky to have met some wonderful women through my local Burn Boot Camp and I recently received the sweetest gift from one of the moms who also brings her little ones to BBC childcare regularly. She’s the mom of twin boys and was kind enough to give me three bags of adorable clothes that no longer fit her boys. Chase has already been sportin’ some of the cute summer clothes and since he seems to grow out of his clothes in a flash, I’m grateful to have a handful of clothes in the next few sizes on hand for Chase as he continues to get bigger.

Liquid Soluble Collagen

When I first blogged about adding collagen into my diet for a myriad of benefits (—> promotes hair/nail growth, reduces wrinkles, improved digestion, helps joint and cartilage health, provides a boost of protein and lots of amino acids), I said I heard great things about the solubility of the green container of Great Lakes collagen but I was still using the orange container. Since I typically add a tablespoon of collagen to my morning cup of coffee, I had to stir it like crazy to keep it from getting thick and gelatinous which worked fine but I decided to give the green container a go after reading rave reviews and it’s WAY better. A tablespoon of the collagen dissolves into my coffee in an instant and is completely undetectable. I still owe you guys a more detailed blog post about collagen and changes I’ve seen, so stay tuned for that in the coming weeks!

The Olympic Trials

I have been loving watching the Olympic trials and am constantly amazed with the talent level of the athletes in this country. The summer Olympics are the best – I was a diver in high school and diving and gymnastics have always been my favorite sports to watch – and watching athletes who train so hard for these events achieve their goals and put everything on the line is so inspiring and exciting. I can’t wait for the Olympics to begin in August!

Thrive Market

I’ve been ordering healthy food and household staples from Thrive Market (<—affiliate link!)for quite a while now and love the awesome discounts I continue to find on some of my favorite organic and non-toxic products. My most recent order arrived this week and included coconut oil, coconut oil cooking spray, EPIC bars (<—think high-protein jerky bars), maple syrup and dish soap – all available from Thrive Market for significantly less (typically 25-50% less) than what you’d find at your local grocery store! Just in case you haven’t heard of Thrive Market yet, I wanted to put it on your radar because it’s a great resource I use regularly to save money on healthy staples! The site is a membership site, but your first month is free and after that it’s only $59.95 for the year which I easily made up for in savings after a couple of orders. I also love that Thrive Market donates a free annual membership to a low-income family for every membership purchased through their site.

Fourth of July Weekend Sales

Here’s a short roundup of some awesome sales happening this weekend that might be of interest:

Kate Spade: Up to 50% off plus + extra 30% off all sale with code SUNSHINE (Love this wristlet for only $35!)

Anthropologie: Extra 30% off sale with code EVENBETTER

LOFT: 50% off everything + Free shipping with code JULY4TH

Sephora: Choose 1 of 4 deluxe samples with $25 purchase with code SPARKLE

Minted: 15% off select items with code JULY4 (I gave Ryan one of their framed photo art gifts for Father’s Day and he loved them!)

Macy’s: 20% off + free shipping on orders $50+ with code FOURTH

Friday Flashbacks

Edamame and Black Bean Salad (Sharing this recipe just in case you need a delicious recipe for a Fourth of July BBQ! This one is always a crowd pleaser and requires minimal chopping.)